The Franchise I

What we are seeing in this new strand of anti-mining simultaneous outbreaks in Lambayeque, in Tacna, Moquegua, in Junín, is the expansion of a franchise(Editorial) The Franchise I

In the business world, if a given formula is very successful in producing a particular good or service and attract customers, the franchise: transmitting to others the 'know how', are manual provides advice and makes visits inspection and enforcement.

Well, in the world of politics is the same. And that includes, of course, the world of politics surreptitious sabotage. What we are seeing in this new strand of anti-mining simultaneous outbreaks in Lambayeque, in Tacna, Moquegua, in Junín, is the expansion of a franchise that last year and proved to be very successful in Cajamarca and Espinar and now in different levels of development in each of the places mentioned.

We have the formula. It begins with the spread of fear among the population based on the idea of ??environmental damage on water-ideally-untested and, in many cases, not even supported in a fairly reasonable (in Espinar crossed all limits with environmental report that was a different project to the one that was discussed and accusing the mining issue be polluting, among other things, a metal that she does not employ or removed). In parallel, removes his citizen status who, among the same population, supporting the project in question: for example, the 32 communities of Cajamarca Conga area of ??influence, or the community of Canaris in a meeting held with all approved law guarantees the Candente Copper giving permission to explore the Cañariaco. The corollary sought-and achieved-is usually violence, which feeds fear as well, with the highways, the destruction of local miners, fires, sometimes even bullets and thus put at risk - when not inviabilización-project in question.

We also, believe it or not, the manual. Or rather, the manuals. For example, the much publicized "Protecting the community against mining and other extractive industries" on which this newspaper reported last year and has chapters eloquently titled as "Form a local opposition" (eye, says "form", not "find") or "impede the process."

Finally, we have the advice and supervision visits. In recent weeks, for example, Wilfredo Saavedra, former MRTA member and one of the most active heads of the anti-Conga has been much in Tacna, inciting the movement against the project Pucamarca, as in Moquegua, visiting leaders of the movement against Quellaveco project. Ubiquitous, has also provided advice to Daniel Baldeón (according to own statement of the latter), who leads the "social protest" in Junin (which has already been violence) against the proposed San Ignacio de Morococha, and coordinated (as the Anti-terrorist police) with Segundo Narva Vásquez (another former MRTA also purged 10 years imprisonment) actions against Cañariaco in Lambayeque (where there has been just violence, but a lot of violence).

Mr. Saavedra, on the other hand, is not the only one who has been there lately Canaris. Ydelso Hernandez, president of the Front for the Defence of the Interests of Cajamarca and partner Gregorio Santos Wilfredo Saavedra and in the anti-Conga, has also been visiting the place, which is closely related to Cristobal Barrios, President of the Community of Canaris which boycotted the agreement initially this came with mine. Meanwhile, Blas Reyes, another close associate of Mr. Santos and his co-defendant in a complaint of kidnapping and torture allegedly committed in the time they were ronderos together has been seen in Cañaris coordinating demonstrations by the above named Segundo Narva Vásquez, who, coincidentally, came to the meeting at which Mr. Barrios ignored the initial agreement reached with Candente guarded by a car whose plate appears in SUNARP registered to a government agency ... Regional Cajamarca. Is not it funny how small the world is? Dwarf, when one considers, for if that were not enough, another of the leaders of the protest lambayecana told this newspaper that his movement had met several times with Mr. Santos and Marco Arana, for advice. The same Marco Arana, who visited several times Espinar, before the outbreak of violence there last year, and whose domestic routes we could go, if not because we think it is not worth continuing this chain because it was clear names that, rather than chain, is a circle. Or, as we said, a franchise system, well organized, determined, strong and, at least to date, successful than most.